Venezuela postpones presidential election to May 20

Caracas, Mar 1 (EFE).- The head of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) said Thursday that the country’s presidential election has been postponed from April 22 to May 20 in response to an “agreement on electoral guarantees” signed by six candidates.

“The date of the election is set for May 20, which means that we are reprogramming the presidential election and we are convening the election of the regional and municipal legislative council,” Tibisay Lucena told the press.

But the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition said that the postponement did not change its view on the election, which it has described as a “farce” unfolding in the absence of conditions for a fair and transparent process.

Lucena said that the CNE will “give further details” about the re-scheduling and about the new electoral timeline, adding that voter registration was being extended until March 10.

The CNE also extended by one day, until Friday at 4 pm, the deadline to register as a presidential candidate, she said.

Of the five candidates who have filed to challenge leftist incumbent Nicolas Maduro, only one has a significant profile: Henri Falcon, a former state governor who entered politics as a supporter of the late President Hugo Chavez (1954-2013), founder of the ruling PSUV.